Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, refused Sunday to credit President Trump for the booming economy, insisting that former President Barack Obama deserves a pat on the back after Friday’s jobs report showed the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.
The Democratic presidential primary contender pointed to American workers, businesses and Mr. Obama when asked about the sunny economic figures, including rising wages, 260,000 new jobs, and a 3.6 percent unemployment rate, the lowest since 1969.
“You know what I’m thinking about, I’m thinking about when we were in that downturn, and President Obama came into office and he had to deal with that with the Congress to try to one, right the financial industry, and two, and get us on the road to recovery,” Ms. Klobuchar said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I remember that the Republicans were giving him grief when he took any credit for that,” she added. “So I think that we have had policies in place starting with President Obama that have aided that recovery.”
Her response came after CNN host Jake Tapper asked, “Unemployment is the lowest it’s been since I was nine months old. You’re really not going to give President Trump any credit for that in terms of his tax cuts, his deregulation, or anything he’s done?”
“I give our workers and our businesses the credit.” Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar says the American workforce and “policies in place, starting with President Obama” get the credit for historically strong economic numbers. #CNNSOTU https://t.co/WJteTOtke8 pic.twitter.com/neSexIvl8q
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 5, 2019
The soaring economy, coming after Mr. Trump’s tax reform and federal deregulation push, comes as perhaps the biggest challenge for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates.
No incumbent president has lost reelection in an expanding economy since World War II, according to the Associated Press.
Ms. Klobuchar also said that many Americans are still struggling financially, thanks to high student loan debt and health-care costs.
“That being said, a lot of people aren’t sharing in this prosperity, because of the cost, the cost of college, the cost of health care,” Ms. Klobuchar said. “The fact that the president had promised he would bring down the prices of their prescription drugs, and that just hasn’t happened.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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